Find It Now

Allpar News

Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep Diesels

Early use of diesels

Dodge used a Mitsubishi diesel in 1978 in pickups and Power Wagons. The engine was the Mitsubishi 6DR5, 3950 cc, with 105 hp at 3500 rpm; it was virtually identical to the Land Cruiser diesel engine of the time. The year this engine was dropped is unclear.

Cummins engines didn’t get into Dodge Rams until 1989, but were surprisingly popular once they became available (see the Ram history page and Cummins diesel engines page).

Chrysler has used numerous VM Motori diesels in vehicles sold in Europe, as well as Jeeps sold in numerous regions. Chrysler also briefly used a Mercedes 3-liter V6 diesel.

1999-2001 Chrysler and Jeep diesel engines

Chrysler had new diesel engines for export markets in 1999. The 2.5 was for minivans and Jeeps, the 1.9 was for cars, and the 3.1 was for Jeeps; the smaller engines were direct-injected four-valve turbodiesels, released in 2001 (1.9) and 1999 (2.5), while the 3.1 liter was a five-cylinder. All had better performance, efficiency, and noise levels than the earlier models, and met Stage III emissions rules. They all had:

• Common Rail Fuel Control (CR) with a high-pressure pump to achieve 1,500 bar injection pressures, for better spray atomization, maintained throughout the full engine speed range.
• Pilot injection — a fuel spray which precedes the main spray to initiate combustion, to reduce noise.
• Four valve direct injection brought 15% better fuel efficiency than indirect injection. Direct injection is most efficient when the injector is centrally located, which is not possible in a two-valves-per-cylinder engine.
• Cooled EGR (optional) enhanced the emission-controlling benefits of conventional EGR systems.
• Swirl Control (optional) at the cylinder head intake matched the air motion in the combustion chamber with the needs of the engine, without sacrificing the amount of flow. One port was tangential for maximum flow, while the other was designed to induce swirl to air entering the combustion chamber, based on engine load and speed.
• A special NOx catalyst.

The engines were:

• The Detroit Diesel/VM Motori 3.1 litre on the 1999 Grand Cherokee; it had an electronic injection pump, and electronically-controlled, vacuum-actuated exhaust gas recirculation.
• The 1.9 liter from Detroit Diesel and FEV Engine Technology met EURO IV emissions standards, and featured centrally located fuel injectors, direct injection, four valves per cylinder, and electronic EGR.
• The VM Motori 2.5 liter diesel replaced the existing 2.5 litre diesel in the Voyager, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee. It had balance shafts for reduced vibration. Gas mileage was 15% better than the older diesel, with more power, thanks to a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT), cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, swirl control, and other new features.

2006 Chrysler and Jeep diesel engines in Europe (from Chrysler releases provided by Doug Hetrick)

The Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, and Chrysler 300C had an optional new 3-liter Mercedes common-rail V6 diesel, with 2,000+ bar Bosch fuel injection, a variable geometry turbocharger, and four valves per cylinder; it met Euro 4 standards, using a particulate filter on the 300C. Maximum power was 160 kW (218 hp DIN) and peak torque was 510 N.m (376 lb.-ft.) at 1800 rpm. The engine was mated to a Mercedes W5A580 automatic transmission, and weighed 208 kg / 459 lb. Fuel consumption with the 300C was 8.1 L/100 km, EU standard for sedan (8.3 for touring).

The PT Cruiser used a variable geometry turbo, measuring 2.2 liters, generating 110 kW (150 hp) with the same gas mileage as the previous, less powerful unit (6.7 L/100 km, combined cycle). Maximum torque of 300 Nm (221 lb.-ft) was produced from 1600 rpm to 3000 rpm. Matched to a five-speed manual transmission, this engine reduced the 0-to-100 km/h acceleration time from 12.1 seconds in the previous model to 10.8 seconds (estimated). The engine was an advanced common-rail design, Euro 4 compliant, with less high-frequency combustion noise than the previous diesel engine.

Horsepower ratings may vary from country to country and year to year. Lars noted that the 2005 2.5 VM engine is also sold with 120 hp (“negative chip tuning”).

1987-2005 Chrysler and Jeep diesel engines (thanks, Doug Hetrick)

* 1992-1995 in Model ES with timing gears; 1996-98 in Model GS with chains (thanks, Doug Hetrick); 1999-2000 in Model GS with timing gears. “The gear model started around Sept 1997. The only way to see which model is to look at the injection pump. The chain model has Bosch 0 460 404 975 while the gear model has Bosch 0 460 404 963.”

Also see these diesel pages at allpar:

• Cummins diesels
• VM Motori diesels
• Perkins diesels

The latest Mopar news: Chrysler disputes Tesla repayment claims • Making Imperials, 1955-1983

The week’s features: Top 5 Missing Mopars  •  Sgt Bob Phillips, Police Car Pioneer  •  Imperial production and history  •  Ramchargers: Funny cars, Clorox, and riots